ONE NAME OR MORE?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 610, 13 September 1909, Page 9

ONE NAME OR MORE?

—: »- .. TEACHERS' APPOINTMENTS. IUNISTERIAL STATEMENT.' ' ; ■ . Tho Hon. ,G. Towlds (Minister iffc .Educa-'. tion) was interviewed by' d ; DojiiNioN reporter on' Saturday on tho. subject ,of tho, appointment; of ; teachers and. tho respective functions of tho education boards. 1 and tho school committoei in connection, therewith; It will bo remembered that Mr. C. I\ Skorrott, K.C., recently gave an opinion, that tho Education Act of last-year entitled any education- boaTd, in sending'a "list" to a'school committoo, to placo only ono teacher's'nam,o on such "list. .The ltov. A. 'Thomson, of Pctonoj in an interview published in Saturday's issuo of this paper, ! declared that if' ■this interpretation .was correct, tho. Minister' for Education had "duped tho House when the Bill was beforo Parliament.' 5 This accusation was repelled by Mr. Fowlds when. Ho was seen on Saturday. . . "Mr. Skerrett's intei-protation, so.far as it is an. interpretation _ of. tho meaning of the; clKiiso,"; said tho Minister,"is correct,' and. states'.what' was intended to be the effect of, tho, clausei, .but when ho goes-on to tal;o up tho' position';'of a'pleader; I diffe.r' from him. I mado it perfectly clear-in my speeches when' tho Bill was going through the'House'that the intention was to put tho power of'transfer definitely into the hands of the boards. 1 emphasised-that point... When; a board calls .for applications, it'is ~not,-'to, my mind,"n : ; case of transfer, hut, it .may. lead to'a trails-, for. However, evcjr;w!)croKapplicatiphs t aroJ called for arid tho l>Oard'.has,.to-;.sond,a list,, to the committee, "tlip hoard 'has—and! has had sinco 1905 —tho right to send ono name only. Tho amendment of 1905,- directing thoi board to. send a list, left ,tho board .free'to put on that -list:, the", ontsido number of names . (which was then six, but' iv«s reduced last' year to four), or any less numbed of names,- Section'ss of tho Act' ot; last year ' repeals .the words 'of tho-original' Act,; directing the board to mako. the ap 7; pointment; after consulting tho-., committee, : and tho :sub-clause3 simply say how .tho con-'. sulfation is;to bo effected;. There might, bo only ono application^;, or only- oho/Of .the 1 applicants might: bo suitably qualified. : -Tho board has to sond the name or. names - elf whom it'eon'siders 'best fitted'.; for tho position." ' ... • . i ;Can there ever ,bo moro 'than ono best? "There may bo moro than ono whoso certificates and experience are-equally good, and aro bettor than thoso of the other applicants. That, is .what is meant by- 'bestrfittea;'- '''Anyproferonco .betwoen such teachers Would .ho made on tho grounds of their personal qualities." : ■ ■ , Is,thero any prospect of an amendment,of tho Act in this respect? , - .. ' , "No-prospect at all, so far as I am con-' oorncd.. Tho present. system of selecting teachers is .working "very satisfactorily inmost .places." ■ :. Th'e -Minister also out 'that tho ednc«tion'_ systom provided a' scalo 'of staffing »nd salaries, and if a certain fall took placo in .the; average' attendance" of a. school, the 'number of . teachers.' had; to bo rcduoed.' If,' then, ho urged, the boards had no power of transfer, a; toaoher might .bo stranded' for' a 'year or two' beforo' .lie : was' seleicted :hy any 'school -committee, although,■'-. .In, . the opinion .".of tho board, he might \ be' ' b'etter qualified for .tho vaoaneies that oroso' in tho meantime- than., were tho teachers- who were appointed .to.'fill them. If teachers who wore kept waiting, in that , way had to bo. main-, tained' by'tho boards, the Dominion would bo saddled with a great' deal ' of • needless expense. ■ '